County Record: Digital Edition

Penny Record: Digital Edition

LCM Battlin’ Bears ready to rumble

During Coach Crouch’s tenure at LC-M, there have been ups and downs, but there are a lot of reasons to get excited about Bears football as we get close to the season opener at West Orange-Stark.

On offense, the Bears have six starters returning. Though the team has questions at quarterback, having two veteran offensive linemen like senior Tyler Howlett and junior Matt Chitty coming back to block up front, should help the new signal caller adapt quickly. The new quarterback will also have a few familiar weapons at his disposal in senior wide receiver Billy Jones, and Texas A&M commit senior running back Alex Sezer. Both of whom are experienced in the Bear’s offense and will help make the process a lot smoother for the eventual successor.

Sezer, who has also recently competed in 100 and 200 meter races in state track meets, is set to become the first player from LCM to play in the SEC and is coming off of a highly productive season that was cut short due to injury. After racking up 577 yards and five touchdowns in only 87 attempts on the ground, Sezer is looking to follow up that performance with an even more impressive one this year. If the young back can stay healthy, he should be in for a good season.

Another bright spot for the Bears is junior kicker Trent Manuel. Placing third in the school’s district after going five for seven on field goals and putting through 20 extra points, Manuel was named “Newcomer of the Year” by The Record for the “2011-2012 All-Orange County Team.” On a squad which saw it’s margin of defeat average out at five points per loss, it’s easy to make a case for how important the kicking game could become if such narrow margins persist in the coming year.

The LCM defense is looking at seven players coming back. The defensive line will be a major factor and will be anchored by senior Andrew Meyers and junior Kayl Simon. Gearing up at linebacker are two veteran seniors back in the mix with Coleton Boudreaux and Caleb Bickham returning to the fold. A team with four experienced guys coming back to the middle of a defense is a pretty good start, but how about two defensive backs making a return as well. With a solid front, and some veterans in the secondary, look for the LCM Bears to battle it out all season long.

The first game of the year is against WOS at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31. Expect Coach Crouch to have the team well prepared for what looks like a tough challenge from the jump. The first district game for LCM is at Livingston at 730 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28. For those of you who can’t get enough of your LCM hometown football, the Battlin’ Bears have their first scrimmage game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 against Goose Creek Memorial.

If you bleed green and gold, you might want to find yourself in the stands to get a good preview of your team.